Land of Fire & Ice (Bandera Volcano & Ice Caves) - Grants, New Mexico Trails Leading to Crater and Caves

The Land of Fire and Ice, Bandera Volcano and Ice Caves, is a privately operated attraction run by the Ice Caves Trading Company. It is located 25 miles southwest of Grants, New Mexico off State Highway 53. The name of the area derives from the close proximity of two contrasting geological formations - a volcanic crater and caverns of ice - both of which can be explored on foot.

Two trails lead to the caverns and crater. Both are wide and paved with cinder. The Ice Cave Trail covers 400 yards and can be hiked roundtrip in 20 minutes. A descent via a 70-step stairway leads to the viewing platform facing an ice wall above the cave's ice floor, where temperatures never exceed 31 degrees.

The Bandera Trail stretches for half a mile and can be traversed up and back in 40 minutes. It rises gradually, gaining 150 feet in elevation, to the best views of the 800-foot-deep crater, which was formed a hundred centuries ago - one of the most accessible examples of an erupted volcano in the nation.

The entrance to the Land of Fire and Ice, Bandera Volcano and Ice Caves, is located at the Ice Caves Trading Post, 12000 Ice Caves Road, Grants, New Mexico 87020. To get there by car, take Exit 81 off Interstate 40 to NM-53. The hours of operation are from 8am daily until 4pm~6pm, depending on the season. Admission, including both trails, is $10 for adults and $5 for children aged 5~12 years. A $1 discount is available for seniors and military personnel.